Destined to Kill
by SatineSatire
Summary: Set in the past, when the Shichinintai were at the height of their power, this is a glimpse into just another job for them and what follows. Completed.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Destined to Kill

Author: SatineSatire

Disclaimer: InuYasha and its characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. The girl belongs to me.

Author's Notes: This story is focusing on the Shichinin-tai as a group and their friendships with each other, and as such there will be no romantic pairings in this story. Thank you to Trfchan, Kitabatakeneko, and Msbbt for reading over this when it was a work in progress, and thank you especially to Tsukiko for helping me to edit and revise until the story was ready. smiles I hope to make this into an AU series, but we'll see how that goes.

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He loved the smell of burning flesh in the afternoon.

The smoke was thick around him, and the hot flames caressed his face but he was undisturbed. When had his fascination with flames started? For a moment, he paused and gently swirled the flask of flammable liquid, ignoring the screams of agony and the echo of mocking laughter that was almost certainly Jakotsu having a great time. Renkotsu had a vague memory of being a very young boy and standing in front of a fireplace, watching the flames gently sway with the breeze that snuck inside. A voice – his mother, his father, who? – telling him to get away from there, because fire is _bad_ and…

He blinked, suddenly jolted back to the present. Smiling faintly, he shook his head and wondered at the odd times that memories chose to reveal themselves. He tipped back the flask towards his mouth, and then spat out a shower of fire towards the little hut. It looked old and rundown anyway. He shrugged. More peasants dead, what a positively _tragic_ loss. The thought made him grin and he turned around to see how the rest of his brothers were doing.

Ginkotsu, unsurprisingly, was nearest to him and Renkotsu gave his friend a genuine smile. The part man, part machine was a disaster to look at but he was a good friend and always watched Renkotsu's back. In times of war when it was difficult to know who could be trusted, he appreciated knowing that there was loyalty and trust between them. Sometimes he became anxious and even a little suspicious of the other Shichinin-tai but he quickly dismissed those thoughts. There was a fine line between caution and paranoia and he did not want to cross it.

Renkotsu refused to contemplate death – at least not his own.

"How is it going, brother?" he greeted Ginkotsu.

"Good," the other man growled. There were splatters of blood on his upper body, and he was casually holding the handle of his axe. The blade was deeply sunk into a woman's skull, and there was blood and gore pooling around her head. He seemed disinclined to remove the axe blade from her just yet, since he had not yet seen anyone else he wanted to bury it into. The flames flared more intensely from the hut, and Ginkotsu immediately pulled back the axe and moved to put himself between the flames and his friend.

"Let's go find the others. It looks like this village is done for," Renkotsu told him, and then walked away to survey the damage. Ginkotsu nodded and followed behind him, the axe still in his hand. There were bodies littered about the dirt path with slashes that had four close parallel lines. It was obvious that this was Suikotsu's work.

"Suikotsu!" Renkotsu called out, looking around for any sign of the man with split personalities. The group was always a concerned that he would be touched by some child in pain and revert to his pathetic good-doctor side. It hadn't happened in a long time, but it was still annoying when it did because then it slowed them down.

He needn't have worried.

Suikotsu came from behind a building, licking the blood from his claws. His black spiked hair was matted with blood and there were splashes of it on his clothes and face. When he wiped at his face, he succeeded only in smearing it but seemed completely unconcerned. "What? I was busy killing someone."

"I can see that," Renkotsu replied, glancing at the gore that decorated Suikotsu's clothes. The only troubling part of being blood covered is that they would have to get their clothes cleaned and _that_ was wearisome. It was a shame they didn't have a woman to use as a slave and do menial tasks that were beneath them. He pondered this a moment, and then remembered why they didn't. Inevitably, Mukotsu would become offended in some way by her, and then they would be treated to the corpse of some poisoned woman. "Let's go meet up with the others, and then we can find elder brother."

Suikotsu nodded and walked beside Renkotsu. He glanced at Ginkotsu who trailed a few steps behind them. "Good killing, Ginkotsu?" he asked casually.

"Gesh," the other man replied, and gave a frightening parody of a smile.

Suikotsu laughed. Deep inside him were the faint cries of a kind-hearted man pleading to be released, but he paid him no heed. The wimp needed to understand that until he accepted that he was dark and murderous, they would always be split up. _What a fucking idiot._ Like anyone was all goodness and light. If they truly believed it, then they were just lying to themselves; everyone had a dark side. Some rejected it – the fools – and others embraced it.

The trio found Kyoukotsu speckled with gore, dismembered bodies around him. His ever-present demonic grin was firmly in place, and he looked arrogant as usual. The ball chain he usually used was at his feet, the chain itself in his large hands. He looked over at the other men. "Do you think I, Lord Kyoukotsu, will find an oni or a demon to chew on?" he asked, though the question was not directed at anyone in particular.

Renkotsu shrugged, used to the man's arrogance by now. "Maybe when the corpses start attracting some lower demons to come feast on their remains. But in here? I doubt this village was big enough to have its own oni." He looked up at the ogre-like man. "We're going to find the others and then meet up with elder brother."

Kyoukotsu's expression did not change, but he picked up his ball chain and lumbered after them. Even more so than Ginkotsu, he stood out among the Shichinin-tai and wasn't particularly close to anyone. Still, like the others he obeyed their young leader because despite his youth, he could still tear apart anyone, regardless of their age, height, or strength.

They found Jakotsu taunting a handsome young man, who was bleeding profusely from several wounds on his chest and face. "Oh, aren't you handsome," Jakotsu breathed and leaned down to lick the blood from the man's face. This had to last. He didn't know when he would next find someone so attractive that he wanted to cut them up and feel their slick blood on his hands. "Yes, you are."

Renkotsu looked at the perverted scene with mild disgust. _Honestly._ "Jakotsu, stop playing around and get serious. We're done here and we just have to find Mukotsu and elder brother."

Jakotsu's head snapped around, his beautiful dark eyes wide and accusing. "You're always so mean to me! You _never_ let me have any fun! Do I make you stop when you're reading boring shit or playing around with your fire? Well? Do I!" he demanded, dramatically getting to his feet and putting his hands on his hips. "No, because I'm _considerate_!"

Ginkotsu growled, and Jakotsu fixed his stare on him. "And don't you start with me either! You'd side with him no matter what! You're all against me!" When Suikotsu snickered, he too was given a baleful stare.

Renkotsu closed his eyes, and slowly counted to ten. He opened them and gazed at the huffy man before him. "Are you through?" he asked politely.

Jakotsu flicked his face up towards the sky, considering. "… yeah."

"All right then. Finish up your little game, and then we can go find Mukotsu next." Renkotsu stared, as Jakotsu suddenly had the wide-eyed expression of a child that had been caught doing something naughty. "What did you do?" he asked suspiciously.

"Me? Nothing!" Jakotsu chirped brightly. "I have no idea what you're talking about!" He took his sweet time executing the young man on the ground that had already been near death anyway. When he looked up, all of his brothers were staring at him. He fidgeted with his sword. "You're just going to get mad at me and yell at me!"

"Oh, god," Suikotsu muttered, running a hand through his black spikes.

"I will not get mad and yell at you," Renkotsu answered patiently. "Unless you don't answer me right away. Then I will be very, very angry."

Jakotsu hesitated, tugging at the hem of his yukata. "Um… well elder brother told me that he didn't like that we had to scrounge around for food and that looking for the good sake always took too long," he babbled. "So he wanted me to let some girls live so that they could serve us, and _then_ we could kill them when they weren't useful anymore."

Renkotsu stared blankly. "… And?"

"And I forgot… And then he's going to be mad at me and I don't like when he's mad at me and you've got to help me find one woman that's still alive!" Jakotsu concluded by looking at the others with large pleading eyes, his expression sweetly hopeful.

Suikotsu laughed. "Everyone's dead, Jakotsu. You're fucked."

"Is that invitation, Suikotsu?" Jakotsu responded seductively, more out of habit than any interest. Yeah, right. First, he needed to tame that wild hair, and those green marks – _What_ was he thinking? And the split personality? Way too much baggage there.

Suikotsu glared at him viciously. "You ever come near me and I'll cut your—"

"We'll look around while we try to find Mukotsu," Renkotsu interrupted the other man. "But you better pray, Jakotsu. You know how… sensitive Mukotsu is and any woman that you didn't kill, he probably did."

Jakotsu's shoulders slumped, but a moment later he was bouncing away ahead of the others, looking for any signs of life. It didn't take long for them to find Mukotsu standing over a woman, angrily ranting at her. The woman's eyes were unattractively bulging and she was desperately trying to pry his hands from her throat. Her lips were parted but no sound other than strangled gasps emerged. A few moments later, her struggles ceased and Mukotsu straightened, breathing heavily.

Jakotsu peered down at the woman. He wasn't a great judge of attractiveness in females but she seemed the right age for a servant. "Did you leave any of them alive, Mukotsu?"

The peculiar-looking little man looked up. "No," he said, still angry. "They fled at the sight of me. You know I can't stand it when women are so _rude_ to me." He knew that he was not perhaps the most attractive man, but that didn't dampen his desire for women. Unfortunately, he had yet to come across one that would not cringe when seeing him. Surely there must be one out there, though… and someday he would find her.

"Yeah, women are bitches," Jakotsu agreed immediately. "I'll stick with men. Although it's so _difficult_ to find a good one these days." He sighed. "All the good ones are taken. Or die too quickly. _So_ unfair." He looked up when Ginkotsu came back holding two frightened women by their waists.

Renkotsu looked over and laughed. "Looks like Ginkotsu's saved your ass, Jakotsu. He's found you some women."

"_I_ don't want them," Jakotsu retorted, offended. "What would _I_ want with a woman? Please!" He went over to Ginkotsu and stared at the women. "This isn't going to do! They're old enough to be Bankotsu's grandmothers! Even _I_ know there's no appeal in having someone _old_ doing the serving! And besides, just listen to their wailing! I just want to…" His hinged sword flinched out, and one of the woman's heads flew off to land beside Mukotsu. Her lips continued to move for a moment and then her expression glazed over. The old woman that was still alive immediately clamped her mouth shut, though was unable to wholly stifle her whimpers and sobs.

"Well, that seems to be all that's available," Suikotsu shrugged. "So one woman is better than…" He paused when he heard a scraping sound coming from a small shop untouched by the fire. Gesturing for the others to be quiet, he made his way over to the shop and pushed aside the door. "Come out, come out, wherever you are," he called out in a soft, deceptively gentle tone.

The young woman hiding in the back of the carpenter shop under the worktable froze immediately. There was a sheet over the table that provided some protection, but if they looked beneath the sheet, they would easily find her. She had heard the men talking outside and had been trying to crawl to escape through the back doorway. A board propped against the hall had begun to slide and she'd stopped it, but not quickly enough. Her entire body shook, and she tried to hold her breath to stifle her panting. Squeezing her eyes shut, she prayed fervently that he would be unable to hear her pounding heart.

Suikotsu glanced around, guessing by all the wood and tools that a carpenter had owned the shop. He saw a small sandal in the middle of the floor and drops of blood leading to a table in the back of the shop. He smiled slowly. How kind of them to leave a trail behind. Walking slowly and deliberately, he finally reached the table. He paused to draw out the terror that the hidden person was sure to be feeling.

She began to sweat when she heard someone stop right in front of her hiding spot. Her body shook uncontrollably and tears slipped down her cheeks. The silence seemed to ring in her ears and after a moment, she wanted to shriek or run or do anything just to end the horrible waiting period. Pressing her fists to her mouth, she tried to remain silent but a faint moan of terror escaped.

Suikotsu yanked the sheet off the table and glanced down. "I found another woman!" he called out to the other men. "And she's not old."

She looked up to see a feral man with green slash markings on his face. Instinctively screaming, she tried to bolt away from him. A fist with claws protruding slashed down, just missing her. She managed to reach the door but a tall… person with a curved sword blocked her passage. Scooting back frantically, she looked wildly between the person blocking the front door and the man blocking the back.

Jakotsu glanced down at the girl and made a face of disgust. "She's not old. But she looks gross. Her hair is a mess and she's all dirty! And she's bleeding all over… Oh yeah." He grinned suddenly. "I remember her. I sent my Jakotsutou to wrap around her, but then pulled it back when I saw a cute guy. I thought I killed her but I guess not." He shrugged unremorsefully. "Maybe later I'll finish the job."

Renkotsu looked over Jakotsu's shoulder. The girl really wasn't in the best shape. Her hair looked like it had once been in an updo but it had fallen and bunched to one shoulder. Her yukata was torn and blood was oozing from Jakotsutou's wounds. One gash on her ankle was bleeding onto the floor. She was deathly pale and her pupils were so enlarged that he couldn't even tell what color her eyes were. In short, she was not what he would have called attractive by any means.

But she was young, and she was alive.

"If you want to live, you'll stop that blubbering and get up," Renkotsu barked unsympathetically. "And tell us where there's food and—"

"The best sake," Jakotsu interrupted. "Elder brother doesn't like the cheap stuff because it tastes nasty."

The girl breathed unevenly and stared up in bewilderment. Her eyes darted around. Even if she could manage to kill one of them, there were several others and she would be easily killed. Fighting was not an option. If she ran, then the… man?... with the hinged sword could cut her like he did before. She winced, the pain of her wounds finally reaching her awareness. If she was quiet and obeyed them, maybe they'd let her go. At the least, it would give her time to calm down. Her senses were flooded and she was having a hard time functioning. Managing a jerky nod at the one that had spoken directly to her, she painfully got to her feet… determined to live.


	2. Chapter 2

Bankotsu sat on a rock with Banryuu resting in the ground beside him. He'd taken the time to clean off his partner, and to make sure that they were far enough away from the village that Renkotsu's fire and Mukotsu's poison would prove no threat to them. He watched the sunset, letting his thoughts wander. Just as he was about to rise and go seek out the others, he heard his men approaching. He looked up with a smile, genuinely happy to see them. "Hey. Did you have fun?"

"Don't we always?" Suikotsu chuckled with a fierce grin. "We even got food and sake thanks to this brat." He gestured to the girl that was limping alongside them.

Bankotsu narrowed his eyes. Her head was lowered, so he couldn't see her face. What he could see of her was distinctly unimpressive, from her sloppy hairdo to her bare feet, which were dirty and had drying blood. His lip curled back instinctively in distaste, and he looked at Jakotsu incredulously. "_This_ was the best you could find?"

"We found her too." Jakotsu pointed at the terrified old woman that Ginkotsu had unceremoniously deposited on the ground. Her hair was streaked with grey and she was crying softly. The girl too was shaking, but she was not weeping; she was just quiet.

Bankotsu made a face. He could not decide which one was more unappealing, the bedraggled girl or the old hag. Closing his eyes, he sighed. Upon opening them, he pointed at the girl. "You. Get me something to drink. As for the hag… I don't care what you do to her." He shrugged carelessly, a smile crossing his features. Despite his ferocity in battle, he could be quite easygoing other times.

Without looking at each other, the girl and old woman began to build a fire. Their hands shook so much that they were unsuccessful at first, and exasperated, Renkotsu finally lit one for them. "Incompetent women," he muttered to himself.

The old woman wept continuously, for herself and for the children and grandchildren she was certain she had lost. Afraid, she tried to focus her attention on preparing a meal, praying that she would survive. Her eyes went hollow as she wondered, to survive for what? With her family gone, it no longer mattered what happened to her. These monsters had stolen everything from her. Head ducking to hide the flare of hatred in her dark eyes, her tears finally stopped.

The girl disliked being insulted. She had been humiliated by the leader's remark about her, but was not stupid enough to show it. Keeping her gaze down, she warmed the sake she had taken from the town's brothel and poured it into a bowl. Her hands trembled and she concentrated very hard on steadying them. She was afraid what would happen if she spilled it. Rising to her feet, she limped over to where the leader was sitting, in between the man that looked like a beautiful woman and the man with a blue cloth wrapped around his head.

Bankotsu looked over and took the bowl from her. He lifted it to his lips to sample, and smiled in approval. "Hey! This is nice stuff. You're a woman with good taste in drinks. Maybe you won't die tonight." He laughed, his expression one of lazy contentment.

The girl lowered herself into a formal, shaky bow. She didn't dare speak to him directly, and hoped that if she could just keep from offending him that he would spare her life. No one else seemed to have any humanity in them… they were either frightening and twisted, or cold and indifferent. She wasn't ready to die yet. Maybe she didn't have a lot going for her, but that didn't mean she was ready to give up. Strength of will had carried her this far in life, and she wasn't going to die without doing everything in her power to prevent it.

Bankotsu lost interest in the unkempt girl and turned back to his friends. "I'm thinking we should head east to see if there are any jobs for us there. It's getting dull over here and we haven't encountered real soldiers in a while." He stretched, his muscles flexing. "I don't want to lose my edge."

Jakotsu laughed. "Like that would ever happen, elder brother. No one can beat you. You're the best. You can even kill big ol' demons."

"Have you given thought to the future, elder brother?" Renkotsu added. As much as he loved killing, he didn't think it was something he could do well into old age. By then he wanted to be comfortably settled somewhere – and incredibly wealthy, of course.

"Demons have an advantage with their powers and strength due to birth." Bankotsu frowned slightly at that. It was unfair that demons had it so easy. The frown faded as he cast a loving glance at Banryuu. He had his own power and it had never let him down. "The future? Well, sure. Who hasn't?" He gave an easy shrug. "I was born to kill, Renkotsu, and I'll continue killing until the day I die." His dark eyes grew hazy with the thought of future battles and he smiled to himself.

"Renkotsu wants to settle down with grandma here and read scrolls all day," Suikotsu suggested from where he was lounging on the grass. He laughed sardonically as Renkotsu threw him a swift glare.

"Suikotsu, go back to sharpening your claws and listening to your _good_ self whine, hmm? I was – as difficult as this may be for you to understand – only _thinking_. After all, _we_ aren't demons and we're going to get older and perhaps want to do different things. It was only a thought."

"You think too much," Bankotsu told him affably, reaching over to pat him brusquely on the shoulder. He missed Renkotsu's wince of pain. "Should ease up on it, thinking so much makes you all worried. Relax. Everything will be fine." He snapped his fingers suddenly. "Girl! Get me more sake. And god, woman, isn't the food ready yet?"

The girl obediently went to fetch his bowl. She had just finished serving the others their drinks and was surprised that the leader had finished his so quickly. He didn't _seem_ like a drunk, but then what did a drunk look like, really? Distracted by the pain of her cuts and the mental reminder to keep her gaze downcast, she missed the old woman attempting to run away. All she heard was the leader's smooth voice say, "Jakotsu" and the whishing sound of swords flying through the air. Warm liquid landed in thin ribbons on her clothes and exposed skin, and she let out a little gasp upon realizing it was blood. The stench filled her nostrils and she gagged.

Jakotsu admired the pieces of old woman on the ground as he withdrew his Jakotsutou to wipe the blood off. "What do you think, elder brother?"

"I think it's good we're leaving in the morning. That's sure to stink soon."

Jakotsu giggled in agreement and then gazed at the girl that had gone absolutely still. "What are you, dumb? Bankotsu said he wanted more to drink!"

Terrified he would cut her again, she hurried over. "Forgive my slowness and foolishness," she begged, trying to hold back her tears. "I mean no disrespect, my lords, truly." Sinking on trembling knees, she offered Bankotsu the sake again.

He accepted it, while thinking that the blood on her from the old woman made her look even _worse_ than before. "Finish the food," he answered her, and sipped at his drink. He watched her stumble back to the fire and yawned a little. "We can start heading east tomorrow, see if there's any work on the way."

"Very well, elder brother." Renkotsu nodded and then stood to sit beside Ginkotsu. They spoke quietly to one other, or rather Renkotsu spoke and Ginkotsu nodded or gave one word replies. It was not out of rudeness; Ginkotsu just was not a talker. Renkotsu didn't mind though, and the stretches of silence that developed in their conversation were comfortable ones.

Kyoukotsu watched the girl with hungry eyes. So did Mukotsu, but for a different reason. When the girl began to distribute the food, Kyoukotsu stopped her and leaned in to sniff around her neck. Her eyes widened and she began to shake uncontrollably. "Please, my lord," she whispered hoarsely, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Please… allow me to finish serving your companions."

Pleased at being referred to as a lord, he pulled back slightly and gave her a smile that did absolutely nothing to calm her fear. "Elder brother. Can I, Lord Kyoukotsu have her afterwards?"

"That's not fair!" Mukotsu blurted out. "I haven't had a woman in weeks and _he_ had one just the other day!" He gazed at the girl lustfully. Never mind that she was thin, blood streaked, and dirty. It was a woman and one that hadn't screamed at the sight of him. For that alone, she was in favor with him.

"That one broke," Kyoukotsu argued.

"_You_ were the one that broke her," Mukotsu retorted. "I can still hear you snapping off her bones for no reason at all! Really, if you're going to have a woman you shouldn't _waste_ her."

"Yeah, you could have at least cut her up. Breaking bones is no fun, where's all the blood in that?" Suikotsu asked, with Jakotsu nodding enthusiastically in agreement.

"Breaking bones is boring," Jakotsu yawned. "It's _so_ much more exciting to cut them…slowly…and listen to their pleas and screams." A dark smile lit his features. "If you do it right, they'll agree to let you do _anything_ to them…just to stop the pain." He giggled and drank more of the sake.

The conversation had taken a terrifying turn for the girl; she was horrified. She didn't want to be taken by _any_ of them. Holding another warmed pitcher of sake, she unsteadily made her way back to the leader.

Bankotsu smiled, but said nothing as his men talked amongst themselves about what to do with the girl. She wasn't strong enough to be considered an opponent and so he was uninterested in fighting and killing her. For serving him such good tasting sake and treating them with respect, he was inclined to feel somewhat generous towards her. "Girl. If you can manage to entertain us through the night, then you can live. But the moment you make one of us angry…they are the one that can kill you."

"Do you mean it, elder brother?" Jakotsu asked eagerly. His temper was mercurial at best, and he was sure he would become annoyed by her. After all she _was_ a woman and he had nothing but distaste for them. He had yet to find one worthy of being left alive. All women were the same, like his mother – bitches, in short, every last one of them.

"Of course I mean it, Jakotsu. That seems pretty fair, doesn't it?" He settled back on one elbow on the grass and tipped back his bowl of sake. Sniffing at the air, he was pleased that the food was finally ready and even more pleased that the girl was smart enough to serve him first.

"Very fair, Bankotsu," Jakotsu agreed, his eyes gleaming as he glared over at the girl. "She's sure to screw up soon. She's a woman, and _all_ women are stupid."

Bankotsu cast him an amused look, well aware of his best friend's hostility towards women. He himself was much less aggressive. While a beautiful woman could catch his eye and he was not opposed to a night or two of pleasure with one, his job as a mercenary was more important and he would never give that up to settle down with one. There was nothing more pitiful than a great warrior giving up his life for some woman. It was a trap he was determined to not fall into. "Some women are more stupid than others. And some are more attractive."

The girl felt he was referring to her with the latter, and was stung. She would like to see just what kind of beautiful woman would still look beautiful after being through what she had been. _Maybe a demon with the power of beauty_, she thought scornfully. _Am I supposed to apologize for looking hideous?_ Silently, she distributed the rest of food, though she dared not take any for herself. At any rate, she felt nauseous from the blood and the smell of the old woman's body. Heightened senses were often more of a curse than a blessing.

After making several trips to refill empty bowls of food and sake, she knelt in exhaustion near the fire. The Shichinin-tai were circled around her and the fire. Even if she had thought seriously of escaping, it would have been foolish to attempt it, because there would have been two men beside each point of escape. She could have leapt, but her ankle had not yet stopped bleeding and she was afraid of what a landing what do to it. It was strange. They seemed like monsters to her, but the way they talked and laughed amongst each other… they acted like a family.

Bankotsu looked up from sharing a joke with Jakotsu and raised his brows at the girl. "Well? Aren't you going to entertain us?"

She stopped tying a torn piece of cloth around her ankle and glanced up as much as she dared. "How would my lord like me to do that?" she asked carefully, a little afraid of the answer. Even if she wasn't a pure lady of virtue, she didn't want to be harmed by all of them.

"Can you sing?" he asked her after a moment of thought.

"Not well," she admitted, smoothing her ruined yukata unconsciously.

"Dance?"

"No," she answered with a shake of her head. They did _not_ want to see her dance.

"Well, what _can_ you do?" Bankotsu asked with a hint of disgust on his features. "What are you good for?"

She was quiet for a moment. "I can do tea ceremony and tell stories."

"Oh, please serve us some tea," Suikotsu told her sarcastically, rolling his eyes. He could hear his good doctor self begging for them to leave the poor girl alone. Unsurprisingly, Suikotsu told the doctor where to shove it and turned back to his food. He was in control and _not_ giving it up.

Even though she knew he was not serious, she bowed her head in apology. "I am sorry my lord, but I did not think to bring tea." She turned in Bankotsu's direction. "Will it be all right to entertain you with stories?"

"Stories, huh? Sure, go ahead. But I warn you – if I become bored, then that'll be the end of you," he answered with a sly smirk.

_I'm surrounded by a pack of wolves that I have to amuse_, she thought in terror. Drawing in a deep breath, she made herself calm down. She too was a wolf at heart, human as she looked. "I understand, my lord," she answered gravely. "I thank you for this opportunity." Taking in another breath, she collected her thoughts, and then began to speak. "Long before any of us were born, there was a warrior of unsurpassed skill in battle…"


	3. Chapter 3

Hours later, her throat was dry and she had to continually lick her cracked lips. Pausing to feed more sticks to the fire, she surveyed the men around her. The largest of them was flat on his back, snoring unattractively. The peculiar little man was muttering in his sleep about some woman, and rolling around now and then. The man that looked like he had once been a monk slept silently on his side, with his quiet friend asleep on his other side. The one with the green face markings and sharp tongue slept fitfully, occasionally seeming as if he were in discomfort or even pain. And the man – she was sure it was a man – in the pink yukata slept near the leader, cuddling his sheathed hinged sword as though it were a doll.

The leader himself remained awake, although with all the sake he had consumed, she did not know how that was possible. Bankotsu gazed at the flickering flames, and then looked over at her. Her bangs hid most of her eyes, but he could still see her pale, drawn face with dried blood caked on her skin. She had to be exhausted, but she went on talking, pausing only to clear her throat or lick her lips. He felt a slight, vague admiration for her persistence.

She cleared her throat again. "A very long time ago there was a feud between cousins over who would take over the throne of a kingdom," she said huskily. "The gods of the land themselves were involved, and came down in disguise to aid both sides. The entire war is too lengthy to recount, and this story takes place on the eve of the biggest and fiercest battle."

Bankotsu leaned back against a large rock and watched her through half-closed eyes. For a moment he thought her eyes reflected red in the firelight, but when he blinked he could no longer make out her eye color and decided that it must have been a trick of the flames. "Go on."

"The prince of one side was having trouble sleeping, and so he went outside. His charioteer, who, unbeknownst to the prince, was really one of the gods in disguise, was there." She closed her eyes a moment, trying to think past the thick exhaustion that was clouding her mind. "The prince was troubled and asked the charioteer if he thought it was bad for the soul to be killing so many people, as in most places it is not considered a virtue to kill countless people."

Bankotsu opened his eyes fully and looked at her with interest. What was she trying to say? He didn't want a lecture. His eyes narrowed and he cracked his fingers ominously. "And what did this god in disguise answer?" he asked in a sinister tone.

"He said that it was not bad for the soul to kill people if that was what the person had been born to do."

Her answer surprised him and he looked at her with wide eyes. "Really?" he asked with childlike curiosity, all traces of malice gone.

The girl nodded, relieved that he liked what she had said. He sounded so young… younger than her, but she sensed that he was the most deadly of all the men there. It was not her intention to anger him. "Yes. He said that we are all born to do something, and that we must do it to the best of our abilities. For some, that is killing. For others, it is being a villain, such as the prince's cousin. The cousin was meant to fight the prince, and if he did it well then when he died he would not be punished. How could he be punished for doing what he was meant to do?"

Bankotsu mulled that over. He liked that idea, since he believed that he had been born to kill. He certainly enjoyed doing it, and never felt more alive then he did when he was in battle. He didn't believe in the afterlife, but if he was wrong and there was such a thing, it was kind of nice to hear that he wouldn't be punished, since he was only doing what he was meant to do. "What happened next?"

"His mind at ease, the prince went back to his tent to sleep. The next morning, the last battle began. He won, of course, and his cousin was defeated. The prince became a king, and the evil cousin that died was reborn into the prince's family, though his duty in his next incarnation was not to kill but to one day be king himself. Since he had done his duty well in the previous life, he was rewarded in the next."

"Where did you hear this story?"

She closed her eyes tiredly. "I don't remember, my lord. I heard it a long time ago from… A monk, I think… He said he heard it from someone on the continent."

"Too bad Renkotsu's asleep. He'd have been interested in it." Bankotsu yawned and stretched out lazily. "You've done well tonight, girl. I think you may live after all." He looked over at her to see her reaction.

"Please, my lord," she whispered hoarsely. "I only ask for my life to be spared – nothing more." She bowed her head humbly, but no tears came this time.

He studied her for a long moment. Her stories had been entertaining, and he felt pleasantly drowsy from the food and sake. "Go then."

She lifted her head in surprise, her eyes wide. It was the first time she had directly seen his face and she was shocked by how young and innocent he looked. "My - my lord?" she stammered, uncertain if he was playing a mean-spirited trick on her.

Her face may have been a mess, but her eyes were surprisingly pretty. He laughed at her hesitation. "What are you waiting for, girl? Do you want to become our maid permanently?"

Was he teasing her? She didn't know for sure. Rising slightly, she half stumbled and half crawled over to him. "Thank you, my lord," she said, the gratitude evident on her face, and dropped down as gracefully as possible into a very low bow.

Smiling almost benevolently, he nodded at her. "I wouldn't advise going east," he told her, the smile turning into a grin. "Or we might run into each other again and I can't promise you'll be so fortunate next time."

The fear back on her face, she swallowed hard and nodded. Rising to her feet once more, she made her way past him. For a moment, she paused and looked over her shoulder. She could just see the top of his dark head over the boulder he was resting back against. Then she turned around and ran as fast as her injuries would allow her to.

Bankotsu listened to the sound of her running until it faded into the night, and all he could hear was Kyoukotsu's snores and the occasional cricket chirp. Jakotsu let out a low moan and he cocked a brow at his best friend. Great, another one of _those _dreams. Feeling pretty content with himself, he yawned and let his eyes slip shut. The night was peaceful, and he had nothing to fear.

After all, was he not the leader of the Shichinin-tai?


End file.
